Air Crossbow? Steambow ONYX
The ONYX crossbow is described by the company as being a “Steambow”. What exactly is a steambow? It can best be described as a blend of crossbow and air rifle.
How the Steambow Works
The Steambow ONYX fires arrows the same as any other crossbow. The drive energy comes solely from the stored spring force of the limbs, like a standard crossbow.
What makes the ONYX different is that the limbs are loose and have no tension until the pneumatic clamping system is activated. The pneumatic cylinder noiselessly and quickly stretches the limbs. After that, you can fire the crossbow. If you decide not to fire, then pull the red knob, and the limbs loose tension, and the bow is safe.
To best understand how this works, watch the video below.
Advantages of Steambow
Another feature of the ONYX is that the limbs fold flat when you pull out the pins from the front of the bow. This allows you to store the bow or carry it in bags where a traditional crossbow will not fit. The steambow can be stored this way for years without any issue.
Since the limbs are not always under tension, there are some significant advantages over traditional crossbows. First, you can change your bow string without any tools. Second, the bow requires no strength to cock. Since the limbs are not under tension, you can pull the string back with ease. Now at this point, you might be wondering what happens when you run out of air. There are a few options you can use a small CO2 cartridge as a back up for 4-5 shots. Or you can manually tighten the limbs and cock the bow like a traditional bow.
Key Features: Steambow ONYX
Length: 28″
Weight: 7.5 lbs
Speed: 330 FPS
Draw Weight: 225 lbs
MSRP: $1,660.00
Jeremy Mallette is co-founder of International Sportsman. An avid hunter and outdoorsman, he has spent more than a decade in the outdoor industry, from hiking and camping to silencers and hunting. His father taught him to shoot at age six, and he received his first firearm at age eight — a 1942 Colt Commando .38 special revolver. He enjoys yearly trips to Kansas for pheasant hunting, spending time with his children at the deer lease, and collecting unique firearms.